Hampton Court Palace

Hampton Court Palace is a royal palace in Richmond-upon-Thames, London, England. Building of the palace began in 1515 for Cardinal Thomas Wolsey, a favorite of King Henry VIII of England. In 1529, after Wolsey fell out of favor with the king, Henry seized the palace for himself and enlarged it. In the following century, King William III of England rebuilt and expanded the palace, destroying much of the original palace in an attempt to rival Versailles. Worked ceased in 1694, leaving the palace as a mixture of Tudor and Baroque architecture. King George II of Great Britain was the last monarch to reside in the palace, and it is currently open to the public; it is easy to access, as it is in the Greater London area.